Britney Spears Reaches Out to Fans  1/7/07

Britney Spears has reached out to fans in a posting on her website, pleading with them to stick by her in 2007.

The singer reveals she feels more "mature" and "free" following her split from Kevin Federline, but apologizes to fans for the negative publicity her recent partying has attracted, revealing she was saddened by the recent closure of a leading fansite WorldOfBritney.com.

Spears blames the press for exaggerating her behavior, but promises her forthcoming comeback album with reward the fans who have stuck by her.

The 25-year-old writes, "The last couple of years have been quite a ride for me, the media has criticized my every move and printed a skewed perception of who I really am as a human being. Behind every decision I have made in my public life there always seems to be an apparent contradiction.

"The last couple of years have been very enlightening for me and now that I've had the time to be 'me', I've been able to sit down and think about where I want to go with myself as an entertainer with absolutely no strings attached.

I am now more mature and feel like I am finally 'free'.

"I've been working so hard on this new album and I can't wait for you all to hear it and to go on tour again! I would like to exclusively tell you that I am working hard to release the new album sometime later this year, but the date is of course not certain yet. I look forward to coming back this year bigger and better than ever, and to also reaching out to my fans on a more personal level.

"I noticed today that one of my biggest fan sites is shutting down soon and I want you all to know that I do understand all the reasons that went behind making that decision, and I am sad to see it closing. If I were you I'd be unhappy too if I had to read what I've been reading every day. But trust me, I get it. I know I've been far from perfect and the media has had a lot of fun exaggerating my every move, but I want you all to know that I love my fans so much, and I appreciate everything you have done for me, so thank you, thank you, thank you!"